CLAREMONT, Calif. --- Biola's female distance group is already familiar with transfer Jax Heckers. And that familiarity only increases the Eagles' excitement about adding a runner whose resume includes multiple qualifications for NCAA National Championships. 

Heckers will pursue her masters in education at Biola after competing in distance events for Cal State San Marcos over her first three years of athletic eligibility. Over her time with the Cougars, Heckers competed in three NCAA West Region Cross Country Championships, ran with a CSUSM team that finished eighth at the 2017 Cross Country National Championships and was one of 20 women to qualify for the 10k at the Outdoor Track & Field Nationals in 2019. 

She was the second Cal State San Marcos student-athlete ever to qualify for Outdoor Track Nationals and will come to Biola with back-to-back top-50 finishes at the NCAA West Regional Cross Country Championships after placing 33rd in 2019. 

Heckers also won two 3k races during the abbreviated 2020 track season and finished No. 1 or No. 2 for the Cougars in all six of her cross country races in 2019, including the four meets in which she ran alongside competitors from Biola. Had she been in a Biola kit at those four meets, Heckers would have also gone back-and-forth with Mackenna Mason as the Eagles' one and two finishers in each race; she literally finished one spot behind Mason at last season's Biola Invitational on September 7.  

The Claremont High-grad was also very successful in her college studies at Cal State San Marcos, earning CCAA Fall All-Academic distinction in 2018 and 2019 and multiple Cougars Big Blue Awards from the Cougars for earning a 3.5 GPA at the end of a semester.

Heckers hopes to become a kindergarten teacher after pursuing her masters at Biola and is eager for how she will continue to grow as a person in Coach Henning's distance program: 

"Biola's program offers a relationship within both their team as well as through their faith that will provide a community where I can continue to grow in my own faith, academics, and athletics," said Heckers. "I am excited to be able to be a contributing member to a team that is not only strong in their faith, but that will work hard to reach their goals."

Jax Heckers will begin training with her new teammates at Biola just before the start of the Fall semester. More information on the incoming 2020-21 class that will join her at Biola can be found on the Committed Athletes page.